Cognition is defined as “the act or process of knowing, including both awareness and judgment” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, copyright 2005) and is dependent upon many mental processes, herein: cognitive skills. Three general categories of cognitive skills comprise attention skills, mental processing skills, and audiovisual skills.
Attention Skills include the following cognitive skills:                Working Memory—retaining information until a task is completed;        Attention Duration—sustaining attention until a task is completed;        Short-Term Memory—using information in performing a task;        Selective Attention—focusing on one task at a time;        Divided Attention—focusing on more than one task at a time; and        Range of Focus—changing focus during a task, from narrow to a wide focus or vice versa; and        Attention Flexibility—producing a desired level of attention at will.        
Mental Processing Skills include the following cognitive skills:                Concept Comprehension—understanding a task;        Sequential Processing—ordering and processing information required for a task;        Simultaneous Processing or Multitasking—processing information for two or more simultaneous tasks;        Processing Speed—the speed it takes to process information for a given task;        Peripheral Vision—perception of objects outside the direct line of vision; and        Information Discrimination—ordering and processing multiple mental, audio, and/or visual information items.        
Audiovisual Skills include the following cognitive skills:                Visual Processing—processing visual input;        Auditory Processing—processing auditory input;        Audiovisual Coordination—simultaneous processing of audio and visual input; and        Sensory Motor Coordination—coordinating sensory input, for example, touch or sound, with motor skills, for example, movement.Attention Focusing        
Diseases and/or syndromes associated with improper attention focusing include Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Learning Disabilities (LD), and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Attention deficit disorder, for example, if uncorrected in a student, may prevent focusing for a period sufficient to obtain new information, significantly impairing the student's learning ability.
All brain functions are associated with a predominant brain wave frequency. For example, Beta-1, and Beta-2, brain waves, in the 12-14, Hz and 14-16, Hz frequencies respectively, are associated with attention focusing. Alpha and Theta waves in the 8-12 Hz and 4-8, Hz frequencies respectively, are associated with a relaxed mental state. Additionally, an overabundance of Theta waves is known to interfere with the ability to focus.
One treatment method for attention focusing, called neuro-feedback, encourages brain waves at desired frequencies, and discourages waves at other frequencies. Monastra, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,980,, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, teach neuro-feedback in which a user is connected to an electroencephalograph, (EEG), while audio signals teach the user to produce desirable brain waves.
A drawback of neuro-feedback is the reliance on a complex EEG measuring system under professional supervision, as described in Boyd, W. D., & Campbell, S. E. (1998): The use of EEG biofeedback to treat ADHD in a school setting in Journal of Neurotherapy, 2(4), pages 65-70.
Mental Processing
Diseases and/or syndromes associated with improper mental processing include brain injury, for example, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Closed Head Injury (CHI), and Stroke.
Breznitz, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,632,174,, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, teaches a system that addresses specific cognitive components, and is administered by a trained clinician. Herron, Lois J., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,383,, teaches a device for successfully completing a specific motor skill-related task, for example, getting dressed.
Audiovisual Coordination
Diseases and/or syndromes associated with improper audiovisual coordination include aging, fatigue, neuro-chemical imbalance, side affects of medication, and secondary effects associated with primary medical disorders.
The Interactive Metronome, seen at http://www.interactivemetronome.com, administered under clinical supervision, seeks to improve timing of motor skills, for example, clapping to an audio rhythm.